1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



755' 



"How do you make this syrup?" 

 " Some simplj' pour boiling- water on the 

 sugar, and stir it till the sug-ar is dissolved; 

 but for fall feeding, or in feeding- for win- 

 ter stores, after the honey harvest is past, 

 I prefer the following to anj- other mode of 

 making- syrup: Fifteen pounds of water is 

 weighed out and put into a tin vessel of 

 suitable size. This vessel is then put over 

 the fire till the water in it boils, when 30 

 pounds of granulated sugar is poured in, 

 the water being stirred briskly while pour- 

 ing- or sifting in, so that the sugar will not 

 settle to the bottom and burn, as such sugar 

 is sometimes liable to do if not stirred. 

 The stirring is kept uptill the sugar is most- 

 ly dissolved, when the whole is leftover the 

 tire until it commences to boil again, when it 

 is skimmed, if any impurities arise. After 

 boiling and skimming-, the vessel is set from 

 the tire, when 5 pounds of extracted honey 

 is stirred in, stirring for a moment or two 

 till th^'! whole is thoroughly mixed." 

 " What do you put iu the honej' for?" 

 "Before I used this extracted honey I 

 found that occasionallj' a batch of syrup 

 would harden in the feeders and comb. 

 This honej' proved to be just what was need- 

 ed, for syrup thus made remained liquid 

 daj' after dav', even when not fed to the 

 bees, and never hardened in the combs, al-- 

 though with this formula the syrup is near- 

 1}' as thick as the best honej' when fed." 

 " What kind of honey do you use?" 

 "I first used basswood hone^', as I had 

 the most of that; but of late 3'ears I have 

 used that which has accumulated from the 

 sun \\ ax-extractor by way of a little honey 

 being in the bits of comb and wax placed 

 there for melting-. This is the nicest kind 

 for an}' feeding, no matter what the color 

 raaj- be, for the heat of the sun so ripens 

 and thickens it that it is always prime for 

 winter stores. But you will please excuse 

 me now, as I have an engagement to meet 

 at this time." 



In our last issue, p. 712, I inadvertently 

 omitted to give Mr. Swarthmore credit for 

 the wooden cell cup. While ou'^s differed 

 somewhat from the original Swarthmore 

 shells, yet the main principle was just the 

 same. 



In emptj'ing out a smoker after a day's 

 work, do not throw out all of the unburned 

 fuel. Leave a little in, as it will ignite 

 more readily than other fuel. The sugges- 

 tion has been made before, but it will bear 

 repetition. 



One of our subscribers says that The" 

 Hartford Insurance Co., of Hartford, Ct., 

 one of the strongest companies in the world, 

 will insure bees. It might be well for our' 

 readers to find their nearest Hartford 

 agent, and see what arrangement he can/ 

 make. 



The events of the past season show the 

 wisdom of ordering supplies for the coming- 

 season early. Discounts are lowest in the 

 fall, beginning- with September. If one 

 waits till the season has almost or quite 

 begun he will be almost sure to be disap- 

 pointed. 



Every once in a while a subscriber will 

 write, at this time of the year, asking why 

 his queens do not lay. For the benefit of 

 beginners, perhaps it would be well to state 

 that, right after the honey-flow, Italians 

 especially will ease up on egg-laying- — per- 

 haps stop altogether. One need not be sur- 

 prised if, at any time in September or Oc- 

 tober, he finds no e.tgs or bruod, especially 

 if the queen is a year or more old. 



A coRRESPO>DFNT, in referring to the 

 matter of easing- the pain of a bee-sting, 

 saj's it is his practice to blow smoke on the 

 spot just stung. This is a common and 

 well-known practice among old bee-keep- 

 ers; and, in fact, it is about all that can be 

 done. The heat, to a certain extent, alle- 

 viates the pain, and the smoke itself deodor- 

 izes the smell of the poison, which seems to 

 infuriate bees otherwise peaceable. 



A CHEAP AND EXCELLENT BEE-BRUSH. 



In this issue, Mr. Elias Fox tells how to 

 make the best bee-brush in the world, out 

 of an ordinary ten-cent broom. This is one 

 of the best items we have received in many 

 a month, and I hope every one of our sub- 

 scribers will take time to read this little 

 Head of Grain, even if he reads nothing 

 else. 



A GOOD TIME TO REOUEEN. 



Now is a good time to supersede inferior 

 or undesirable queens. The untested are 

 now at their lowest price, and the exchange 

 can be made with very little interruption in 

 the work of the colony. Indeed, if a young 

 queen be introduced, displacing an old one, 

 she will probably start egg-laying and 

 give the new colony a fresh impetus, where 

 an old queen might conclude that her job 

 was done for the season, laying few or no 

 eg-gs. 



entrance-contracting in the fall. 



The time is likely to come on very soon 

 in many localities, even though it may be 

 very warm now, when we shall have cool 

 nights. It is then advisable to contract the 

 entrances of all hives that have been opened 

 for the honey- flow and the flight of numer- 

 ous bees flying in faster than one can count. 

 Deep entrances are a good thing in their 



